Last night, my new site, thebarkloudgroup.com posted to the web for LIVE testing and functionality workflow review prior to an official announcement. In looking at it, I could not help but to share what has happened.

In viewing the site, you will notice an inch header at the top that DETRACTS from everything about the site, eliminates any credibility and plainly looks poor on my behalf. As a loyal and continually active GoDaddy.com client, I ASSUMED that when they offered me a FREE upgrade to no cost hosting, it was a RESULT of my excellence as a client and I would get what I had PAID for prior. WRONG…

My point is, if your BUSINESS is going to give away something FREE… GIVE IT AWAY! Do not add a bunch of hooks, small print or stipulations. It creates NEGATIVITY in the relationship and ultimately appears DECEITFUL, as the offer was never FREE to start. Agree??

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP: I plan to leave this up "as is" for today, then by late tonight, the hosting will CHANGE, to eliminate the ads atop the page. I am not ANGRY with GoDaddy in a manner that will keep me from using their service. I am a little more AWARE though…

Your service or product is what people REMEMBER. Sure they like you and yes they will likely use you on relationship alone. HOWEVER, if you start creating mistrust with "gimmicks," that relationship may change.

As a lesson, had GoDaddy been UPFRONT about the ads being atop the page with the "complimentary hosting service," I would not have been upset. I would have then had the INFORMATION needed to make a proper decision for myself.

Be HONEST. Be UPFRONT. And if you cannot afford to GIVE it away for FREE – don't act like it!

"Either get on the horse and ride it or let the darn thing go. Standing next to it is pointless!" - Zach Barker (07/29/10)

Yoda says, "Do or do not…" and I agree.

How many times have you LISTENED to someone talk about what they are "going to do," only to hear it again a year later? How many people have SHARED their fantasies (not dreams, because dreams have action) with you, having no REAL intent to ever do anything about them?

Why would anyone TALK about "what they want to do" if they do not plan to do anything about it?

Consider RIDING a horse. You either get on the horse to ride or not. Standing by it is not riding, but its "CLOSE." Petting the horse makes you "FEEL" connected, but does not actually account for riding. Even sitting in the saddle does NOT account for the ACTION of riding…

If you are near the horse, just get on. If you do not like it – GET OFF! Either way… do something!

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP: ACTION and IMPLEMENTATION are the great separators of success. Someone else may be smarter, better looking, more talented, or have a family pedigree… HOWEVER, if they are LAZY or APATHETIC – you CAN (and will) beat them every single time!

It is just a horse (metaphorically speaking). Jump in the saddle and kick your heels. If you decide it is more than you can HANDLE, jump off! At least then you will have SATISFIED your inkling to ride and can then focus on what's next.

Moreover, if you love… well, then you have ELIMINATED your excuses for going even further with it. Let's ride!!

"IMP's want to do enough so they can have time to play around and do what feeds their interest at the moment." - Humorously anonymous (you know who you are!)

I must admit I PARAPHRASED the quote given to me; however, I think this is a good representation of the message.

In a recent discussion, I was very IMPRESSED by the idea of "IMP's." The people that work at a company and do JUST ENOUGH to stay out of trouble; make sure to goof off ANYTIME possible and their FOCUS is on their next 7 days, as opposed to a LIFETIME of achievement. These are "IMPLOYEES" (employees).

As a business leader, you want "ANT's." The people are hard WORKING creatures, strong in CHARACTER and focused on their success as part of the COLLECTIVE success of your business done by pulling their own weight. These are your "ANTREPRENEURS" (entrepreneurs).

It is DIFFICULT to staff your team with ANTs because they WILL leave one day to lead their own colony (business). They will PUSH your systems, test your PATIENCE and CHALLENGE your thought processes. IMP's will just cruise along, never rocking the boat…

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP: When you consider a SUCCESSFUL business, do you think of a room FULL of IMP's FaceBooking, chatting about the party from last weekend or the game they are going to that night? On the other hand, is it a group of ANT's, CHALLENGING each other to do more, be better and grow EXPONENTIALLY?

ANT's are not BORING creatures… they just have PRIORITIES. They understand that the work must be complete to wage through the DIFFICULT times. They will enjoy their time for relaxing and socializing just like the IMP's, just AFTER the work is completed.

If you are still STRUGGLING with this concept, read the "Ant and the Grasshopper" for a perspective and see if the grasshopper does not EXEMPLIFY the IMP characteristic!

“Patience is good only when it is the shortest way to a good end; otherwise, impatience is better.”
- Unknown

For some of you, the Morning Motivator has been ABSENT the past few days. Admittedly, I MISSED Friday as the result of a technical error that I should have seen coming… (my bad). Yesterday, I issued my lesson and apology – yet very few got it. WTH!??!

Often, top achievers, are very A+ personality types which results in lots of ACTION and DRIVE towards achieving their goals. It also OFTEN means frustration when things do not work as they FEEL they should. If you are one of “us”, you know the feeling – often predicated by, “I don’t understand why you just cannot get it done!”

FACT: Your “smart”phone and computer do not care about you, nor do they listen.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The REALITY is this: If you are a “DOER”, then it is critical that your systems and processes be in place and redundant.

You must PLAN AHEAD for mishaps, successes, challenges and bottlenecks. You must SLOW DOWN to have the vision to see 3 steps past right now, and then solve the challenges as well.

It is EASY to become frustrated and impatient when things do not go based on your planning style or timeframe. Ultimately, you cannot CONTROL everything – so you had better control as much as you can and find others that LOVE to control what you cannot.

In a sense, you CAN control it all with proper PLANNING and TEAM development.

Many years ago, my mentor, Bill Long, gave me wonderful GUIDANCE about commitment. He said, “If you are going to start it, you better commit to seeing it is delivered every time…” He was speaking regarding an email newsletter I was publishing; however, I BELIEVE it was a much deeper lesson.

Last Friday, you may have noticed, that I FAILED to deliver the Morning Motivator to you. I failed to KEEP my promise.

Worst of all, when you CEASE to execute something, you are FORCED to start over from square one, recommit and EXCISE greater effort than before to just get going. It is easy to STOP once you have done it one time. Think about the last time you “skipped a day” at the gym… (For me that was 6 weeks ago)

With all that said, I have examined my SYSTEMS and am seeking a better DISTRIBUTION process. I am MAKING SURE that I do not fail in what I love doing again…

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Everyone MESSES up. Not everyone RECOVERS. Few have the wherewithal to even ADMIT their error and make amends.

When (not if) you make a MISTAKE or DISAPPOINT those that trust you… OWN IT! Accept your responsibility, seek resolutions to see that you do not do it again (at least not the same way) and DEDICATE yourself to finding better processes to overcome next time.

Most people are UNDERSTANDING and will not punish you long term (although you should expect some short-term “ripping”). Just get back on the horse and start riding again…

Remember, your ABILITY to persevere will set you apart, as most others will never try again!